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Filmmaker Ron Howard has suggested that colonising Mars is only the first step for humans finding other planets to live on.

The Apollo 13 director spoke out ahead of the second season of his show MARS, which is playing on National Geographic.

It intersects dramatic scenes with documentary-style interviews with the likes of Elon Musk and Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

‘The thing that surprised me is colonising Mars, for any of the real deep thinkers, is important but it’s not the end,’ Howard told Sky News.

‘It would be a very important next step to finding planets that are more hospitable, to that Star Trek deep space exploration that really could provide a much friendlier planet that’s much easier for human beings to adapt to.

Ron Howard (Image: Rex Features)

‘It just gives more impetus to invest in the resources in that ongoing exploration of Mars and space.’

MARS, which is set in 2042, follows humans who have settled on the Red Planet. Part of the appeal is blending the dramatic with the factual.

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And, according to Howard, the show works because of our innate desire to explore.

‘I think human beings by our nature are explorers,’ he said.

Artist’s impression of a potential Mars colony (Image: Shutterstock)

‘While some corners of the Earth have not been fully explored yet, most have, and the oceans as well.

‘I think that having been to the moon, the great question for many people is where next and why would we go.

‘Mars is a tantalising possibility. It’s a great challenge but it’s also an ideal jumping off place for even deeper space exploration, and many also feel that if human beings do not continue to explore that there’s a possibility, that there’s no guarantee that they can extend the existence of the species beyond Earth.’

MARS returns for a second season on Sunday 11th November at 8pm on National Geographic.